A recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 7 million people died as a result of air pollution in 2012.

Unfortunately, this updated science indicates that air pollution problems worldwide are even worse than we previously thought. In 2012, over 400 experts worldwide examined the science on air pollution and concluded that outdoor air pollution contributed to “over 3.2 million premature deaths worldwide” in 2010 alone. 2008 estimates placed the number at approximately 1.3 million annual deaths.

So why are these numbers increasing? One reason is that the science on air pollution continues to improve. The report’s new estimates “are not only based on more knowledge about the diseases caused by air pollution, but also upon better assessment of human exposure to air pollutants through the use of improved measurements and technology. This has enabled scientists to make a more detailed analysis of health risks from a wider demographic spread.”

For example, the data now “reveal[s] a stronger link between both indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure and cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and ischaemic heart disease, as well as between air pollution and cancer. This is in addition to air pollution’s role in the development of respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.”

If there’s one thing scientists and epidemiologists are sure of, it’s that “air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk” – it kills millions of people every year, and each year we’re learning more about its dangers.

This scientific consensus stands as a resounding rebuke to Congressional Republicans, who have attempted to question the causal link between air pollution and mortality in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The Clean Air Act requires that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) base national air quality standards on health and scientific factors alone when determining what amounts of air pollution are harmful for humans to breathe. So, Congressional Republicans have tried to undermine the science behind these standards in an attempt to undermine the standards themselves. The WHO's report makes these attempts all the more outrageous.

Among these attempts, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology committee, claims the science supporting EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) is somehow “secret science.” In reality, scientists used confidential patient data to conduct important medical research on the health impacts of air pollution. Chairman Smith also claims that the science on air pollution has not been adequately reviewed. This too is incorrect – the studies underlying EPA’s standards have been extensively reviewed by independent authorities.

EPA’s analyses, just like the WHO’s, show that the more we learn about air pollution, the more we learn just how dangerous it is to our health. No amount of hearings, subpoenas, or ad hominem attacks can change that.

The international scientific community has now concluded that “[t]he risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood” - 1 in 8 deaths worldwide are the result of air pollution exposure. We can do much more nationally, and internationally, to clean up this deadly pollution and reduce millions of deaths each year. And EPA is working to do just that. Right now, EPA is in the process of updating standards for smog pollution that have the potential to save thousands of lives each year.

It's time for Congressional Republicans to stop ignoring the science and work with EPA to protect our health from the dangers of air pollution - millions of people stand to benefit if they do.

The WHO study also finds that one of the largest sources of air pollution health issues and associated fatalities are due to indoor pollution; primarily in Developing Countries. The burning of renewable wood and agriculture wastes, with little or no reasonably proper building/living structure ventilation is a major source of indoor air pollution and associated health/death impacts. Also, the enormous and very rapid expansion of coal fired power generation plants with little or no stack emission environmental controls in Developing Countries such as China is another major source of (outdoor) air pollution and health/death impacts. Both these huge indoor and outdoor air pollution sources have obvious solutions starting with very basic indoor ventilation technologies and coal power plant stack precipitators/scrubbers.

Comparing U.S. air pollution to current Developing Countries is a bit confusing or possibly miss-leading. The Country has made huge improvements since the 1970’s (CAA). In the U.S. all fire places/stoves/ovens are normally built with proper ventilation stacks/systems. U.S. power plant stack emissions are among the most tightly controlled in the World. Yes, older plants can definitely be improved, but most these plants are located remotely to population centers and present relative smaller (solution-by-dilution) hazards to most the populous. The problem statement becomes identifying those plants that actually present the most significant air pollution issues for local residents and addressing the worst offenders first.

In the U.S. the major cause for air pollution deaths (about 480,000/yr.) is due to smoking. Perhaps the EPA should partner with other Federal Agencies in supporting the elimination of this obvious major source of known U.S. respiratory health/deaths.